Here's where Twins Top 30 prospects are starting '22

April 6th, 2022

With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where the Twins Top 30 Prospects are projected to start:

  1. Royce Lewis (MLB No. 46), SS/OF — St. Paul (Triple-A)
  2. Austin Martin (MLB No. 52), OF — Wichita (Double-A)
  3. Jose Miranda (MLB No. 95), 3B/2B/1B — St. Paul (Triple-A)
  4. Joe Ryan (MLB No. 97), RHP — Minnesota (MLB)
  5. Jordan Balazovic, RHP — St. Paul (Triple-A)
  6. Jhoan Duran, RHP — Minnesota (MLB)
  7. Josh Winder, RHP — Minnesota (MLB)
  8. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP — Wichita (Double-A)
  9. Matt Canterino, RHP — Wichita (Double-A)
  10. Noah Miller, SS — Fort Myers (Single-A)
  11. Spencer Steer, 2B — Wichita (Double-A)
  12. Matt Wallner, OF — Wichita (Double-A)
  13. Misael Urbina, OF — Unassigned (visa issues)
  14. Ronny Henriquez, RHP — Extended spring training
  15. Louie Varland, RHP — Wichita (Double-A)
  16. Aaron Sabato, 1B — Cedar Rapids (High-A)
  17. Cole Sands, RHP — St. Paul (Triple-A)
  18. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF — Fort Myers (Single-A)
  19. Drew Strotman, RHP — St. Paul (Triple-A)
  20. Blayne Enlow, RHP — Injured (Tommy John rehab)
  21. Steve Hajjar, LHP — Fort Myers (Single-A)
  22. Chris Vallimont, RHP — Wichita (Double-A)
  23. Keoni Cavaco, SS — Fort Myers (Single-A)
  24. Jovani Moran, LHP — St. Paul (Triple-A)
  25. Alerick Soularie, OF — Cedar Rapids (High-A)
  26. Marco Raya, RHP — Fort Myers (Single-A)
  27. Cade Povich, LHP — Cedar Rapids (High-A)
  28. Danny De Andrade, SS — Extended spring training
  29. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 3B — Cedar Rapids (High-A)
  30. Jermaine Palacios, SS — St. Paul (Triple-A)

Team to watch
Double-A Wichita leads the way with seven members of the Top 30, including the two prospects who came over in last year’s Jose Berrios trade, Austin Martin (No. 2 on this list) and Simeon Woods Richardson (No. 8). But you could do a lot worse than St. Paul, home for three of the top five prospects (two in the Top 100) in the system, led by No. 1 Royce Lewis.

Teams on MiLB.TV

Triple-A St. Paul
Double-A Wichita
High-A Cedar Rapids

New faces
Left-hander Steve Hajjar, the team’s second-round pick in last year’s Draft, didn’t pitch officially last summer after a long year at Michigan. So when he takes the mound for Fort Myers, he’ll be throwing his first professional pitch. So will fellow Mighty Mussels pitcher Marco Raya, who was drafted back in 2020, but missed last year with injuries.

On the shelf
Blayne Enlow looked like he was taking a big step forward in 2021 until he blew out his elbow. That led to Tommy John surgery last June. He’s currently rehabbing and working his way back.